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Weathering and mass movement at the coast

I can explain how weathering and mass movement shape the coast.

View unit
Lesson 2 of 9
New
New
  • AQA

Weathering and mass movement at the coast

I can explain how weathering and mass movement shape the coast.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. The coast is shaped by weathering processes (mechanical and chemical).
  2. The coast is shaped by processes of mass movement (sliding, slumping and rock falls).

Keywords

  • Weathering - the breakdown or disintegration of rocks at or close to the surface

  • Mechanical weathering - physical disintegration of rocks, for example through freeze-thaw

  • Chemical weathering - chemical breakdown of rocks usually involving slightly acidic rainwater

  • Mass movement - the downhill movement of material under the influence of gravity

Common misconception

Mass movement only refers to dramatic events like landslides and rockfalls.

Mass movement includes all downhill movements of soil, rock, or debris due to gravity. It's not just rapid events like landslides but also slower processes which occur gradually and can still significantly alter the landscape over time.

GIS could be used in this lesson to explore the impact of landslides and identify areas most at risk. The National Trust has an ArcGIS resource on climate hazards which could be used for this called Slope Failure (Landslides) Current.
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Equipment

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2026), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Prior knowledge starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Which of the following characteristics best describes constructive waves?

High frequency and strong backwash
Correct answer: Low frequency and strong swash
High frequency and steep profile
Short wavelength and strong backwash

Q2.
What type of erosion involves rocks and pebbles colliding and breaking into smaller, rounder pieces?

Hydraulic action
Abrasion
Correct answer: Attrition

Q3.
Which type of erosion is defined as material being hurled against a cliff face, wearing it down?

Hydraulic action
Attrition
Correct answer: Abrasion

Q4.
What process is being described here "the uninterrupted distance over which the wind blows across the water"?

Correct Answer: fetch

Q5.
Reorder the steps in the process of longshore drift:

An image in a quiz
1 - Waves hit the shore at an angle due to the wind direction.
2 - Sediment is moved along the beach by the swash (up the shore).
3 - The backwash pulls sediment straight back down the beach.
4 - Sediment moves along the shore in a zig-zag pattern over time.
5 - Over time, sediment is transported down the coastline.

Q6.
What coastal management structure is used to block longshore drift?

1 - g
2 - r
3 - o
4 - y
5 - n
6 - e
7 - s

Assessment exit quiz

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4 Questions

Q1.
Which of the following is an example of chemical weathering?

Frost shattering
Exfoliation
Correct answer: Acidic rain dissolving rock
Root expansion

Q2.
What happens during freeze-thaw weathering?

Correct answer: Water in cracks expands as it freezes, causing the rock to break apart.
Rocks dissolve due to acid rain.
Heat causes rock surfaces to peel in layers.
Plant roots grow into cracks, breaking the rock.

Q3.
Which type of mass movement involves rocks breaking away from a cliff and falling freely down to the bottom of the cliff?

Slumping
Correct answer: Rock fall
Sliding

Q4.
What is a key characteristic of slumping as a type of mass movement?

Sudden, vertical fall of rock from a cliff
Slow movement of soil down a gentle slope
Rapid flow of saturated soil and debris
Correct answer: A section of land moving down a curved surface

Lesson appears in

UnitGeography / Coastal landscapes

AQAGeography

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